Container



Nov. 7, 1950 F. E. CHESNEY 2,529,138

CONTAINER Filed Dec. 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3nventor Frank E. U/zesney His attorney ,F. E. CHESNEY Npv. 7, I950 CONTAINER Filed Dec. 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llll) Illl , 3nventor F/Ufi/f E. Chas/75g" H1 attorney Patented Nov. 7, 19 50 111! CONTAINER- Frank E.'Chesney, Rocky River, Ohio, assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 17, 1946, Serial No. 716,755 g This invention relates to improvements in containers and in particular containers made in the form of a barrel or keg such as used for shipping nails, spikes, bolts andthe like.

Among the objects of the'invention is the provision of a container having 'a construction that combines lightness with strength which is simple, relatively inexpensive, and which can be quickly opened, and safely used thereafter.

It is a still further object of the invention-to provide a container having a cylindrical sheet metal body having the ends substantially sealed by disk-like head members in which the head ends of the cylinder are constructed to tightly confine the heads therein and at the same time afford satisfactory resistance to forces tending to break the heads in or out of the container.

It is a further object of the invention to pro-' vide a container made in a plurality of sections so that the sections can be readily nested or stacked for stocking or for shipmenttogthe point where the sections are to be assembled to complete the container for use.

These and further objects of the invention will be more readily apparent in the following description. I

Desirable features for a container as described are economy, simplicity, lightness, and strength and these features are generally severally obtained, within practical limitations, in containers now in use. However containers, particularly nail kegs, are deficient in many respects, for ex-' ample, wood stave kegs being made of strategic material in great demand for other purposes especially during periods of war are not always obtainable in the quantities required. Wood stave kegs, while satisfactory as to strength; are unnecessarily heavy and the combination of desired lightness with strength is missing. Furthermore, wood stave kegs 'having'wood heads secured by nails driven' through the staves into the heads present a hazard in use which is undesirable in that when the keg is'opened, which is usually accomplished by bashing in the head by the sharp blow of a hammer and then removing the "pieces forming the head, the nails are left sticking out through the stave s inside the keg so when the hand and arm of a person is extended into the keg to remove nails, the members may be ripped and torn as they are removed. Also containers formed with steel bodies and Wood heads used heretoforehave also been deficient in simplicity and lightness combined with strength suflicient to resist crushing and breaking ofthe keg-in service -Where'nails have been 8 Claims. (Cl. 220) used to fasten thewood heads, the same hazard has been presented during its use. Where all steelcontainers have been used, it has been found that while thebody portions have been generally satisfactory, it'has been difiicult to provide steel heads properly attached and readily removable without running into excessive cost which makes such a container'commercially impractical and prohibitive for use in connection with such highly competitive products as nails, spikes, and thelike.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: i

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a con-: tainer constructed in accordance with the invention, a portion'of the container being shown in longitudinal vertical section;

' Figure 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Figure 1;

v Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section on line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation of a container constructed in accordance with the invention before the top head is applied and secured in place, a portion of the container being shown in longitudinal vertical section;

' Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the sections of the container shown in Figure 4; and r Figure 6 is a vertical section on line VI--VI of Figure 5.

Referring in detail to the drawing which shows a preferred embodiment of the container of the invention, the numeral IE] represents generally the main body portion of a cylindrical container or nail keg. This body portion comprises sec tions I1 and I2, these sections being identical, and each being substantially semi-cylindrical in form" and" having their longitudinal edges extending slightly beyond the diameter of the semi cylinder'tto' form laps l3 and l 30. so that when the two'sections are assembled together with their longitudinal edges overlapping, these lapped edges maybe spot or tack welded together to form a round hollow cylinder. In the preferred emf bodiment the'body portion is composed 'of two" v head'members l5 and it. These head members arepreferably'made of wood but if desired may be formed of any other material such as metal, other fibrous material such as paper, pressed 'cloth, plastics, or earth materials such as are so that a description of one pair only will be necessary.

Projection I? consists of a substantially perpendicular wall or abutment 2 I having its innermost edge connected by a rounded nose portion 22 with an oblique wall- 23. The oblique wall 23 r f ably ext nded war een of th container .to connect withthe cylindrical ,bod portion at an adjacent angle A which may vary iron; 30 to 60 although containers having the said oblique wall. extended at adjacent angles 1 substantially less than 30 ,or morev than 60 even approaching 90 maybe used if desired and will give satisfactory results'for certain uses. P-IO". jection 58 may be constructed similar'to-projection ll with a substantially perpendicular-wall or abutment 24 having its inner edge connected bya rounded nose portign 25 with an'oblique walllfi extending away from.the end.of the container. The two projections I! and Iii-may be positioned near theend of the container so that the abutmentsZl and 24 will, together with the circular body. portion 2 1 between the -projections be adapted .toiorm .the croze 1.4 for the head member 15. Likewise, the two projections l9 and 20 may be similarly positioned to form thecroze 14a for the ,head member 16. The two projections l1 and iii/are preferably arranged so that theabutments 2| and 24 will be spaced apart a distanceslightly less than the thicknessofthe head member [5. ,The two projections l9 and 20 at-the opposite end may be similarly spaced. By thus spacing the projections, the abutmentsofeach pair will constrictingly retain the respective head, members to make a tightpackage. .If desired, however, the projections forming the crozes may be .so positioned that the abutments will be spaced a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the head members whichwilladapt the-crozes for retaining head ,members which may .vary

somewhat in thickness which often occurs in conventional cooperage.

By constructing the \inwardly extending pros jections with substantially perpendicular. abut-. ments, as indicated at 2| and. 24, supported by the oblique walls. 23 and 26.- as. shown in Figure-3. reinforcedshoulders are provided for the head member retained in the croze to thereby resist any forces either external .or internal which would tend to break thehejad members in or out. These projections being extended inwardly and circularly ,will also function to strengthen the body of the container against radial forces tending tocrush the cylindrical body.

Each pair of projections forming the crozes Hand Ida is also preferably spaced from the end of the container a distance so as toprovide a -por-tion of the cylindrical body of the .container next adjacent the end thereof so as .to prm aledge orgrip for the fingers of a person The two pairs of projecor mechanical device when lifting or handling the container. When such a ledge or extension of the body portion is not provided next adjacent the end of the container then when the container is lifted or handled the lifting fingers often will slip over the edge of the container so that the container will be dropped usually on one corner of the container or keg. Such aconcentration .of force on the edge of the container is generally sufiicient to break it open especially if the force is repeated. In order to prevent such breaking of the container, the

pairs of projections forming the crozes may be .spaced from the end of the container so that the distance from the-surface of the head member nearest the end of the container to the end.

thereof is not substantially less than inch nor greater than 1 inches.

quite closely,.otherwiseflthe car space will be utilized beforefthev ton a e allowance of the car 3 is loaded. j V

.In, order toprovide a close nesting of the containers in shipment the, containers are made in c ns asindip a edin Figures5and 6. .In-constructing these sections, the outwardly extendns pr iections'za are exten ed outw rd f t away from th c lindrlical bod portionthangt c inwardly x en in proje tio .8.19 an 20 are extended inwardly so that when the sec-f tions are a nested together. the, outwardly extending projectionszfican be very readily aligned and this aligning and nesting of the sections is assisted by the tapered Walls 29 of the projections 28. v

In order to form and Strengthen the chimes. of the container,,theendsof the sheets. of. the sections forming the, container may be bent over as at 30 to form an outwardly and downwardly projecting annular bead. If desired,. a metal wire not shown may be inserted inthe'cylindrical pocket formed by the bead 39, so as to reinforce the chime. V Inorder to providea smooth circular edge for thechime, a slot 3| may be provided in thechimesof each section having a length substantiallyequalJto the length of the lap formed by the sections when they are assembled for welding the laps informing the cylinder.

,In constructing the container, .two metal sheets of sufiicient length and-widthto form the semicylindrical sections ll and 12 are first sheared to size and the slots .3I punched out. These. sheets are then passed through forming rolls to form the beads 30 to provide thechimes-forthe container. These beaded sheets are then rolled in forming rolls provided with suitable contours to form the semi-cylindrical section having the semi-circular inwardly and outwardly extending projections show-Ir in Figures 5 and 6 which is the form in-which the sections may be shipped to the place where the containers; will be assembled ll'rllse usually anailmill. At

this point two semi-cylindrical sections 33-"and 34 will be assembled simultaneously witha head member [6 to 'forman open'ended container 32 as shown inFigure 4 by clamping the sheet metal sections about the head member and spot or tack welding the longitudinal seams as indicated at 36. The welded container 32 having a bottom head member and'having only a single integral circular inwardly-extending projection 3'! adjacent the upper open-end of the container, as shown in Figure 4, may thereupon be filled with the articles for which the container is to be used. After the container has-been filled, a head member such as shown at l5 'in Figure 1 may be placed on the abutment 3a 'of 'the projection 37 after which the upper portion 39 of the cylindrical body of the container may be compressed in a suitable press having a die or dies reciprocating radially of the container to form the outer integral circularinwardly extending projection I! to tightly secure the head member in the croze l4 thus formed to complete the container as shown in Figure 1.- By suitably squeezing the container to form the projection I! outside of the head member l5 of the or other fasteners to hold the head members in place. Alternatively, the projection I] may be formed by use of a roller bending device in which the container is mounted for rotation about its axis and one or more bending rolls are'fed radially inward to engage the outer surface of the container above head I5 and'to be'nd 'the container to form the'projection. In order to later open the container to remove its contents, the head member can be bashed in by a sharp blow of a hammer and the pieces of the head member can be readily removed and a clear; free opening is provided for removing the contents.

If desired when forming the projection I! in the closing of the container, the upper portion 39 of the cylindrical body of the container as well as the bead for theupper chime may be reduced in diameter somewhat by a further compression of the clamp press so that the outside diameter of the upper chimewill be smaller than the inside diameter of the chime at the bottom of the container, thus permitting the containers to be stacked one above the other with the bottom chime of the upper container in the pile nesting over the upper chime of the lower container. To permit such a reduction in the diameter of the upper chime, the slot 3| in the upper edges of the sections II and I2 of the container may be formed slightly longer than the lap in the sections so as to provide a smooth, continuous edge for the upper chime.

Although the keg above described has the cylindrical body thereof made up of two semicylindrical sections, kegs made inaccordance with the present invention may, if desired, have such body formed from a single sheet. In such case the single sheet or keg blank, formed with the necessary beads and contours, will be shipped in a generally fiat condition to the point at which the kegs are to be formed. The cylindrical body of the keg may then be formed from such blank by bending it into a cylinder and securing the ends of the sheet together as by spot welding.

While I have described preferred embodiments of the invention herein illustrated, it is to be understood that I am not limited thereto, since various modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claimsif =fIclaimr- A container consisting of a cylindrical sheet metal body portion and disklike head members enclosing the ends, the said body portion having apair-of integral circular inwardly extending projections adjacent each end, each said projection consisting of at least one substantially perpendicular abutment connected to a rounded nose portion, the said projections of each pair being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of one of the said head members and being adapted to form with the contiguous body portion of the container a shouldered croze, the said head members being retained in the said crozes.

2. A container consisting of a cylindrical sheet metal body portion and disk-like head members enclosing the ends, the said body portion having a pair of integral circular inwardly extending projections adjacent each end, each said projection consisting of a substantially perpendicular abutment connected by a rounded nose portion with an oblique wall, the said projections of each pair being spaced apart a distanceslightly less than the thickness of one of the said head members and being adapted to form with the contiguous body portion between them a croze, the said head members being constrictingly retained in the crozes. 3. A container consisting of a cylindrical sheet metal body portion and disk-like head members enclosing the ends, the said body portion consisting of a plurality of arcuate-shaped sections welded together and having a pair of integral circular inwardly extending projections adjacent each end, each said projection consisting of a substantially perpendicular abutment connected by a rounded nose portion with an oblique wall, the said projections of each pair being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of one of the said head members and being adapted to form with the contiguous body portion between them a croze, each pair of the said projections being spaced from the ends of the container so that the distance from the outside surface of the head member retained in the croze to the end of the container is not substantially less than inch, the said body portion having a plurality of integral circular outwardly extending projections intermediate its ends, the said head members being retained in the said crozes. 4. A container consisting of a cylindrical sheet metal body portion and disk-like head members enclosing the ends, the said body portion consisting of a plurality of arcuate-shaped sections welded together and having a pair of integral circular inwardly extending projections adjacent each end, each said projection consisting of a substantially perpendicular abutment connected by a rounded nose portion with an oblique wall disposed at an adjacent angle with the said body portion not substantially greater than 60, the said projections of each pair being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of one of the said head members and being adapted to form with the contiguous body portion of the container between them a croze, each pair of the said projections being spaced from the ends of the container so that the distance from the outside surface of the head member to the end of the container is not substantially less than inch, the said body portion having a plurality of integral circular outwardly extending projections intermediateritsends, thesaid head members being retained i'lllEthQ said crozes. r

5, A section for a cylindrical container having adisk like head member enclosing one end, said section-consisting 'of an arouate-shaped sheet metal body portion having a pair of integral arcuate inwardly extending projections adjacent one end, each said projection consisting of at least-one substantially perpendicular abutment connected to a rounded nose portion, the said projectionsbeing spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the said head member and being adapted to form with the contiguous, body portion of the container a shouldered croze, and an integral arcuate inwardly extending projection similar to one of the projec tions of the said pair in the said body portion adjacent the opposite end. --6.- A section'for a cylindrical container having a disk-like head member enclosing one end, said stantially perpendicular abutment connected by a rounded nose portion with an oblique wall, the said projections being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the said head member and adapted to form with the contiguous body portion a croze, and an integral arcuate inwardly extending projection similar to one of theprojections of the said pair inthe said body portion adjacent the opposite end.

I '7. A section for a cylindrical container having adisk-like head member enclosing one end, said section consisting of an arcuate-shaped sheet metal body portion having a pair of integral arcuate inwardly extending projections adjacent one end, each said projection consisting of a sub-- stantially perpendicular abutment connected by a, rounded nose portion with an oblique wall, the said projections being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the said head member and adapted to form With the contiguous body portion a croze, and an integral arportion adjacent :the'oppositeend, the said pair of: projections being spaced from the end of. the containeraso that. the distance from theend-of the said abutment of the inwardly extendingpro jection nearest the endwof the container to the end of the-container is not substantially less than inch, the said: body portion having a plurality of arcuate outwardlyextendingprojections intermediate its ends. 7 r 7 8. A section tor a cylindrical container having a disk-like head member enclosing one end, said section consisting of an arcuate-shaped sheet metal body portion having a pair of integral semicirculaninwa-rdly extending projections adjacent one end, each said projection consisting of a substantially perpendicular abutment connected by arounded noseportion with an oblique wall disposed at an'adjacent angle'with the said body portionnotisubstantially greater than 60, the said projections being spacedapart a'distance substantially equal to the thickness of the said head member and adapted to form with the con-v tiguous-body portion a croze, and an integral arcuate inwardly extending projection similarv to one of theprojections of the said pair in the body portion adjacent the opposite end, the said pair of projections being spaced from the end of the container so that the distance from the said abut mentof the inwardly extending projection nearest the end of'the container to the end .of' the container is not substantially less than inch, the said body portion having a plurality of integral arcuate outwardly extending projections in- Young, Dec. 3, 1946- 

